Traditional x-ray scanning systems use a single stationary x-ray beam (in the form of a thin expanding planar beam) to scan objects that are moved through the beam. The result is a 2D flat projection of the object indicating transmission intensity of the x-ray beams through the object. Many systems provide multiple sensitivity sensors to help discriminate the various absorption properties of the object at different x-ray powers. The 2D images produced by these systems only provide spatial information in two dimensions. The third spatial dimension, depth, is not provided by traditional systems. For applications like security and inspection, this missing third dimension can lead to lost information or misinterpreted information.
Systems have been developed to capture the third dimension using two x-ray beams. These devices have been successfully demonstrated. These two beam systems require a new configuration for the x-ray device and would require traditional single-beam devices to be replaced. The present invention does not require a reconfiguration of a traditional single-beam because it functions as a parallel system along with the existing 2D x-ray functionality.